Genital Evolution: Why Are Females Still Understudied?

Ah-King, Malin; Barron, Andrew B.; Herberstein, Marie E.

doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001851

Cited by 161 publications

(141 citation statements)

References 35 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

135

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In contrast, female genitalia have typically been found not to be as interspecifically variable as male genitalia in several studies that specifically examined and described them (Eberhard 1985(Eberhard , 2010a. Female genitalia are not studied as often as male genitalia, perhaps because of a male-biased view of evolutionary processes by researchers (Ah- King et al 2014). However, studying female genitalia is undeniably challenging.…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Genital Coevolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms and Evidence of Genital Coevolution: The Roles of Natural Selection, Mate Choice, and Sexual Conflict

Brennan

Prum

2015

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol

113

145

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Genital coevolution between the sexes is expected to be common because of the direct interaction between male and female genitalia during copulation. Here we review the diverse mechanisms of genital coevolution that include natural selection, female mate choice, male -male competition, and how their interactions generate sexual conflict that can lead to sexually antagonistic coevolution. Natural selection on genital morphology will result in size coevolution to allow for copulation to be mechanically possible, even as other features of genitalia may reflect the action of other mechanisms of selection. Genital coevolution is explicitly predicted by at least three mechanisms of genital evolution: lock and key to prevent hybridization, female choice, and sexual conflict. Although some good examples exist in support of each of these mechanisms, more data on quantitative female genital variation and studies of functional morphology during copulation are needed to understand more general patterns. A combination of different approaches is required to continue to advance our understanding of genital coevolution. Knowledge of the ecology and behavior of the studied species combined with functional morphology, quantitative morphological tools, experimental manipulation, and experimental evolution have been provided in the best-studied species, all of which are invertebrates. Therefore, attention to vertebrates in any of these areas is badly needed.

show abstract

Section: Mechanisms Of Genital Coevolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanisms and Evidence of Genital Coevolution: The Roles of Natural Selection, Mate Choice, and Sexual Conflict

Brennan

Prum

2015

Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol

113

145

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Morphological and evolutionary research on genitalia is strongly male biased and this male bias worsened with time in spite of the fact that female genitalia can evolve rapidly and complex coevolutionary dynamics may shape both male and female genital structures (Ah-King et al 2014). Function of the frequently much elaborated male armament is easier to understand if we examine counterbalancing structural evolution of female response against male wounding, like connective tissue enlarging in seed beetles (Ronn et al 2007) or developing pocket-like structure in Drosophila (Kamimura 2007).…”

Section: Accelerated Reproductive Isolationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limnephilid taxa revised by speciation traits: Rhadicoleptus, Isogamus, Melampophylax genera, Chaetopteryx rugulosa, Psilopteryx psorosa species groups, Drusus bolivari, Annitella kosciuszkii species complexes (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae)

Oláh¹,

Chvojka²,

Coppa³

et al. 2015

Opusc Zool

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Speciation traits of paramere, paraproct and aedeagus were applied to find initial split criteria with fine structure analysis in order to prepare diverged trait matrices for delimiting phylogenetic incipient species of unsettled limnephilid taxa in the early stages of reproductive isolation. A brief history is presented how this phenotypic taxonomic tool of the speciation traits was discovered and applied in caddisfly taxonomy. The theoretical basis was elaborated for the phenotypic speciation trait by reviewing several relevant topics in the sciences of taxonomy, molecular genetics and phylogenetics. Perspectives of integrative taxonomy is discussed in context of phenotype versus genotype, immensely complex phenotype versus phenomic challenge, taxonomic impediment versus genetic expedient, taxonomic adaptation of genetic vocabulary versus genetic sophistication and virtualization, New Systematics of Huxley and Mayr versus New Taxonomy of Wheeler. Debates on magic trait, speciation phenotype, speciation trait and super traits are discussed concluding that evolution works with phenotype and why the cryptic species concept is irrelevant. Briefly summarized how speciation traits evolve in sexual selection, through accelerated reproductive isolation with genital evolution through sex-limited speciation traits, including minor sex chromosomes. Why neutral molecular markers are blind compared to the adaptive speciation traits sensitized by fine structure analysis and backed by the potential of high-tech and high-throughput phenotyping and cyber-infrastructure broadly accessible and fed by computable phenotype descriptions. What sort of genetics could really help taxonomy to describe biodiversity of the over 100 million unknown taxa? Collecting new and re-examining old type materials deposited in various collections, the following taxonomic actions were elaborated by speciation traits. Drusus bolivari new species complex has been erected with redescription of Drusus bolivari (McLachlan, 1876), with species status resurrection of D. estrellensis (McLachlan, 1884) stat. restit., with description of five new species: D. carmenae Oláh, sp. nov

show abstract

“…This latter situation, called sexual conflict, has been the subject of intensive research effort over the past two decades, with a particular focus on male reproductive traits that impose fitness costs on females during or following copulation (Arnqvist and Rowe, 1995;Rowe and Day, 2006). However, work on related female adaptations has lagged significantly behind, despite repeated calls for increased research attention to female reproductive traits (Ah-King et al, 2014;Méndez and Córdoba-Aguilar, 2004;Simmons, 2014). In fact, over the past decade, the male bias in the study of primary reproductive traits has worsened, rather than improved (Ah-King et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, work on related female adaptations has lagged significantly behind, despite repeated calls for increased research attention to female reproductive traits (Ah-King et al, 2014;Méndez and Córdoba-Aguilar, 2004;Simmons, 2014). In fact, over the past decade, the male bias in the study of primary reproductive traits has worsened, rather than improved (Ah-King et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamic digestive physiology of a female reproductive organ in a polyandrous butterfly

Plakke

Deutsch

Meslin

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Reproductive traits experience high levels of selection because of their direct ties to fitness, often resulting in rapid adaptive evolution. Much of the work in this area has focused on male reproductive traits. However, a more comprehensive understanding of female reproductive adaptations and their relationship to male characters is crucial to uncover the relative roles of sexual cooperation and conflict in driving co-evolutionary dynamics between the sexes. We focus on the physiology of a complex female reproductive adaptation in butterflies and moths: a stomach-like organ in the female reproductive tract called the bursa copulatrix that digests the male ejaculate (spermatophore). Little is known about how the bursa digests the spermatophore. We characterized bursa proteolytic capacity in relation to female state in the polyandrous butterfly Pieris rapae. We found that the virgin bursa exhibits extremely high levels of proteolytic activity. Furthermore, in virgin females, bursal proteolytic capacity increases with time since eclosion and ambient temperature, but is not sensitive to the pre-mating social environment. Post copulation, bursal proteolytic activity decreases rapidly before rebounding toward the end of a mating cycle, suggesting active female regulation of proteolysis and/or potential quenching of proteolysis by male ejaculate constituents. Using transcriptomic and proteomic approaches, we report identities for nine proteases actively transcribed by bursal tissue and/or expressed in the bursal lumen that may contribute to observed bursal proteolysis. We discuss how these dynamic physiological characteristics may function as female adaptations resulting from sexual conflict over female remating rate in this polyandrous butterfly.

show abstract

Genital Evolution: Why Are Females Still Understudied?

Abstract: In many animal groups genital structures appear to have evolved extremely rapidly, prompting enduring interest in why this is so. Throughout this literature there remains a bias towards studying male genitalia; here we examine the extent of that bias and its possible causes.

Cited by 161 publications

References 35 publications

Mechanisms and Evidence of Genital Coevolution: The Roles of Natural Selection, Mate Choice, and Sexual Conflict

Mechanisms and Evidence of Genital Coevolution: The Roles of Natural Selection, Mate Choice, and Sexual Conflict

Limnephilid taxa revised by speciation traits: Rhadicoleptus, Isogamus, Melampophylax genera, Chaetopteryx rugulosa, Psilopteryx psorosa species groups, Drusus bolivari, Annitella kosciuszkii species complexes (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae)

Dynamic digestive physiology of a female reproductive organ in a polyandrous butterfly

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About